• On this day, 50 years ago, RCA held a press lunch with DAVID BOWIE as guest of honour at Rules, London's oldest restaurant on Maiden Lane in Covent Garden.

Upstairs, in a private dining room, he is presented with an 'outstanding musical achievements' award from RCA Records for having SIX different albums in the UK charts for a total of nineteen weeks during 1973...

     

• On this day, 58 years ago, DAVID BOWIE performs his first-ever gig outside of the United Kingdom. David Bowie and The Lower Third play at Le Golf Drouot, Montmartre, Paris, France in 1965...

• On this day, 60 years ago, DAVID BOWIE plays final gig with THE KONRADS at Justin Hall, West Wickham in 1963...

The next in the series BOWIE ODYSSEY 74 by SIMON GODDARD, is scheduled for publication on 9th May.

The fifth in this series, contains 192-pages and is available to pre-order now.

Book by book, year by year, the ultimate literary trip through Bowie's greatest decade.

Darkness looms in 1974. It could be the winter energy crisis. It could be The Exorcist. Or it could be the shock that Britain's biggest pop star, David Bowie, is about to leave its shores for good.

Bidding the corpse of glam, Ziggy's haircut and loyal 'Bowietania' farewell, the plan is to storm America with his highly theatrical Diamond Dogs tour. But by opening night he's already wishing he was Barry White instead. Then there's that nasty sniff he can't get rid of. And that fly in his milk. And the suspicion that, much like every other teen idol named David, fame is driving him completely out of his mind...

Simon Goddard's electric ride through Bowie's greatest decade reaches the halfway mark with this fifth instalment.

Wickedly funny and shockingly tragic, Bowie Odyssey 74 is the story of one man trying to find his soul in a world that's gone to the devil.

The next episode of the DAVID BOWIE AlbumToAlbum podcast is available now.

In episode 5, ARSALAN MOHAMMAD talks with LEAH KARDOS, musician, producer, professor and author in conversation about The Next Day.

In this episode, we look at the final three songs of the album - '(You Will) Set The World On Fire', 'You Feel So Lonely You Could Die' and brooding closer 'Heat'.

This is the third episode devoted to The Next Day and its unruly children on The Next Day Extra.

Listen in here: audioboom.com.

Check out all the previous podcasts here or via your favourite streaming service.

• On this day, 44 years ago, DAVID BOWIE appeared on NBC's SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE US TV show with a legendary three-song live performance.

BW News Flashback - December 2006

Former employees of NBC's Saturday Night Live were asked to send in precious anecdotes to GAWKER - one particular piece that stood out was when DAVID BOWIE appeared on the programme in December 1979.

David performed three songs... 'The Man Who Sold The World' where he was carried to front stage by backing singers Klaus Nomi and Joey Arias, whilst inside a costume (which was a nod to Dadaist Tristan Tzara - or if you've done your homework Sami Rosenstock).

The second song was 'TVC15' with Bowie dressed more conventionally as a Chinese airline stewardesses dress and lastly 'Boys Keep Swinging' complete with a puppet body.

The photograph right shows a scene from 'The Gas Heart' by Tristan Tzara. Costumes designed by Sonia Delaunay, Theatre Michel, Paris, July 6-7, 1923.

Tzara introduced the first performance as follows: "It is the only and greatest three-act hoax of the century. It will satisfy only industrialized imbeciles who believe in the existence of men of genius.".

SNL Employee: David Bowie and I manhandle his life-size plastic punching doll into the elevator. The next night, NBC's costumers will bolt David into this rigid contraption so he can spin and wobble across the stage on live television, while lip-synching one of the songs that made him into the icon known as Ziggy Stardust.

For a second, I gaze into Bowie's left eye and notice his famous blown pupil. "Why drag this all the way back to your hotel? The Props department could lock it up for you."

He laughs. "Nothing personal, but if it goes missing, I can't just buy another one down at the corner shop."

I giggle. "Good point."

I still look back on this comment as my best shot at the Melonhead Hall of Fame.

Nobody gives us a second glance as we struggle outside to the Plaza. The Thin White Duke and an anonymous melonhead are trying to stuff a six-foot-tall, brightly-colored punching doll into the back seat of a stretch limo, but New Yorkers, true to form, don't even notice this singular tableau. David turns, to say thanks for the help. Polite guy. My brain is churning at light speed, searching for another bon mot.

So I bring out the big guns: "Break a leg!" When David looks puzzled, I rush to explain: "Not now. Tomorrow night." He smiles and thanks me again.

Then his limousine is gone, and I'm left alone to compose my Hall of Fame acceptance speech.

The Linguini Incident movie director RICHARD SHEPARD [@SaltyShep] announced today that he has got the rights back to the movie, created a 4K director's cut and yesterday signed a Blu-ray deal for a release in 2024.

He went on to say: "The original cut will be on as special feature. Along with lots of other goodies."

The movie first released in 1991 stars DAVID BOWIE as 'Monte', Rosanna Arquette ('Lucy'), Eszter Balint ('Vivian'), Buck Henry ('Cecil'), Andre Gregory ('Dante') and Marlee Matlin ('Jeanette').

There are also brief cameo roles from IMAN ('Dali guest'), Hunt Sales (drummer) and Julian Lennon (uncredited).

The movie was co-funded by Bowie's production company Isolar, with filming beginning in October 1990 after Bowie had completed his Sound+Vision World Tour. Filming locations included Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, New York and Los Angeles.

This American bizarre crime comedy movie was also released on VHS and DVD in various countries, some with different titles including: 'Romance By Interest' (Brazil), 'Emergency Robbery' (Bulgaria), 'Houdini & Company' (Germany), 'Erotic Combinas' (Greece), 'The Linguini Set' (Hungary), 'New York Love Thief' (Japan), 'The Robbery' (The Netherlands), 'Robbery Story' (Russia), 'Chained Yours' (Spain), 'A Robbery Story' (Ukraine) and 'Shag-O-Rama' (US).

Synopsis: This is a delightful romantic comedy, which tells the story of a trio of hopefuls chasing their dreams in New York. 'Lucy' (Rosanna Arquette) is a waitress in a classy restaurant who longs to become an escapologist. Her friend 'Vivian' is an eccentric underwear designer and 'Monte' (David Bowie) is an English barman desperate to marry anyone in an attempt to gain a green card. Although Lucy refuses to marry him, the trio become increasingly drawn together, particularly as Vivian begins to pay him a large amount of attention. Lucy hits upon an idea - to rob the place where she works in order to pay for Mrs. Houdini's wedding ring! The trio unite for the crime which culminates in Lucy having to escape from chains while being handcuffed, upside down and under water!

On this day, 40 years ago, DAVID BOWIE performed 'Imagine' at the Hong Kong Coliseum during his final gig of the Serious Moonlight Tour '83 in memory of JOHN LENNON.

On this day, 8 years ago, DAVID BOWIE and IMAN attended the premiere of LAZARUS theatre production at The New York Theatre Workshop, NY, USA.

At the end of the show David took to the stage for a standing ovation. This was to be David's final public appearance.

Check out these precious photographs taken by LOPEY who managed to take a great image as a smiling David and Iman arrived at theatre, as well as Susan Sarandon, Tony Visconti and Kristeen Young.

     

     

Courtesy of Lopey [bowiefun.com].

David, Enda Walsh, Ivo van Hove and cast take a standing ovation. Photo by Jan Versweyveld.

For all you fashionistas out there... David is wearing a Alexander McQueen dark navy and silver skull polka dot evening scarf.

        

Photos by AKM-GSI Splash.

Below are the photographs taken by PAULA SCIUK, as David, Iman and actors Michael C. Hall and Cristin Milioti left the theatre. In the foyer are Jimmy King and Bill Zysblat.

     

     

Courtesy of Paula S.

Showing next week on Friday 15th December at The Muse in London ALAN YENTOB introduces his 'Cracked Actor' documentary followed with a Q&A, also featuring MARK WARDEL, who has recently had his The Fly in the Milk book published, which was co-written with Susan Compo.

Venue: The Muse, 269 Portobello Road, London W11 1LR at 6.15pm. Free entry.

For more details, visit themuse269.com website.

Taking place next month on 4th / 5th / 6th / 7th January is 'THE SOUND AND VISION OF DAVID BOWIE - A CELEBRATION' who are a band of latter-day Bowie collaborators and co-conspirators who have been coming together annually to perform the music of David Bowie exclusively at The Cutting Room in New York City.

Members of the group have been a part of David's work from the mid 1990's - from the Outside/Nine Inch Nails tour in 1995 through to his theatrical creation 'Lazarus' in 2015.

Musicians and producers from the ensemble have participated in every Bowie recording and tour from 1997 onward - including Earthling, 'hours...', Heathen, Reality, The Next Day, ★, and the newly released Toy (the 'lost' album from 2000).

The vocalists and musicians who are bringing their time and talents this year include: Gail Ann Dorsey / Donny McCaslin / Carmine Rojas / Gerry Leonard / Brian Delaney / Everett Bradley / Henry Hey / Mark Plati / JJ Appleton / Jim Boggia / Michael Esper / Nicki Richards.

For more details and information, please visit thecuttingroomnyc.com website.

Update: A fourth show has just been added due to demand on Sunday 7th January - more details

• On this day, 28 years ago, DAVID BOWIE performed at the Kings Hall, Belfast during his Outside Tour in 1995...

• On this day, 40 years ago, DAVID BOWIE performed at the Army Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand during 'The Bungle in the Jungle' leg of the Serious Moonlight Tour in 1983...

• On this day, 58 years ago, DAVID BOWIE with The Lower Third performed at the Marquee Club, Soho, London in 1965...

• On this day, 59 years ago, DAVID JONES & The Manish Boys performed twice at City Hall, Newcastle, unbilled and supporting on the Gerry & The Pacemakers/Gene Pitney/The Kinks tour in 1964...

• On this day, 24 years ago, DAVID BOWIE performed at The Astoria, London during his 'hours...' promotional tour in 1999. Earlier the same day, David did an in-store signing at The Virgin Megastore. After the gig he held an after-show party at Pop in Soho...

• On this day, 45 years ago, DAVID BOWIE performed at Western Springs Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand, the final show of the Australasian leg of his 1978 world tour...

• On this day, 57 years ago, DAVID BOWIE and THE BUZZ performed at the Severn Club, in Shrewsbury in 1966. At this gig they performed 'Waiting For The Man' by The Velvet Underground as one of the encore songs. David played this song live before anyone one else in the world, he performed it before the album was actually released after receiving a testing pressing from his then manager Kenneth Pitt...

• On this day, 59 years ago, DAVIE JONES and THE MANISH BOYS gave two performances at the ABC Cinema, Hull in 1964...

Scheduled for publication in April is ME AND MR. JONES: My Life with David Bowie and The Spiders From Mars by SUZI RONSON.

From the stylist behind David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust look, an electrifying peek behind the curtains during a legendary chapter of pop culture history.

'Suzi Ronson was there as Bowie transitioned from suburban folkie to world superstar and genius. Few can offer such insight, and tell this fascinating story with such verve.' - Hanif Kureishi.

Suzi Ronson was working in a Beckenham hair salon in the early seventies when Mrs Jones came in for her weekly shampoo and set. After being introduced to her son David and his wife Angie, Suzi finds herself at the Bowies' bohemian apartment and is soon embroiled in their raucous world.

Having crafted his iconic Ziggy Stardust hairstyle, Suzi becomes the only working woman in David's touring party and joins the Spiders From Mars as they perform around the globe. Amid the costume blunders, parties and groupies she meets her husband-to-be, Mick Ronson, and together they traverse the absurdities of life in show business, falling in with the likes of Iggy Pop, Bob Dylan and Lou Reed along the way.

Dazzling and intimate, Me and Mr Jones provides not only a unique perspective on one of the most beguiling stars of our time but also a world on the cusp of cultural transformation, charting the highs and lows of life as one of the only women in the room as it happened.

About the Author:
Suzi Ronson is an author, songwriter, and former hairdresser and stylist. At fifteen, she left school and enrolled in the Evelyn Paget College of Hair and Beauty, going on to become David Bowie's stylist after helping create his iconic Ziggy Stardust hairstyle. She travelled the world with Bowie as his hairdresser, stylist and confidante. Ronson has also worked with Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and John Mellencamp. She divides her time between London and New York.

This hardcover, 320-page memoir is to be published on 4th April and can be pre-ordered now.

• Check out the interview with bass player TIM LEFEBVRE over at CLASSIC ROCK HISTORY with Andrew Daly. Tim talks about his approach and gear choices, and gives the rundown on his work with DAVID BOWIE on the ★ album - [Read here]...

• DAVID BOWIE is now hit an amazing 10 million followers on the David Bowie Official Spotify page, along with currently 17,341,088 monthly listeners - [More details]...

• Music Producer TONY VISCONTI is to headline Westport Library's VersoFest in April 2024. Tony will be in conversation for the 3rd annual music and media festival on Saturday, 6th April at 1pm, discussing his art and career as one of pop music's longest working and most influential producers. This event is free and requires registration. Venue: The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, 06880 United States. To register please visit [eventbrite.com]...

• The German stage production of LAZARUS by DAVID BOWIE and ENDA WALSH is playing at Schauspielhaus, Holtenauer Straße 103, 24105 Kiel, Germany on various dates starting today and through next year. For more details on dates and performances please visit [theater-kiel.de]...

After a break of eighteen months, DAVID BOWIE GLAMOUR fanzine is back!

They've got interviews with Bowie alumni such as Sterling Campbell and Zachary Alford, and stars who were influenced by him including Glen Matlock and Joe Elliott and Clem Burke. Plus, of course, lots of stories and encounters by the fans!

It's available now at davidbowieglamour.com website.

For issue 10, the front cover is once again designed by Helen Green, depicting Bowie in 1999.

This issue includes:
Zack Alford
Clem Burke
Sterling Campbell
Duffy
Joe Elliott
Glen Matlock
John Scarisbrick
...and of course, the fans!

For those of you who use FACEBOOK - check out the DAVID BOWIE WONDERWORLD Group.

Feel free to join in with the other 92,900 plus members, add yourself and invite your Bowie fan friends. You never know what might get posted, or who you might meet...

Just published is the eagerly awaited new book DAVID BOWIE: MIXING MEMORY & DESIRE: Photographs by KEVIN CUMMINS.

"As iconic photographer, adventurous fan and insider eye-witness, Kevin Cummins has always been where the cultural action is. Mixing Memory & Desire will make you see David Bowie in a surprising and stimulating new way." - Paul Morley

"David Bowie was on a creative journey through music, fashion and art. A journey unparalleled in popular culture. What a privilege it is for us that Kevin Cummins was there to capture this journey. His wonderful book shows us exactly why Bowie was so unique." - Noel Gallagher.

"Kevin brilliantly captures the essence of the great man in these remarkable photographs. Cummins is so adept at breaking down the barrier of the camera, you sense Bowie is completely at ease when they worked together." - Goldie.

From the Back Cover:
From the legendary Bowie gigs in the early 1970s, through to a poignant image taken outside his apartment in New York in 2016, Kevin Cummins has captured the many faces of Bowie, including previously unpublished material, and created a book that is essential for Bowie fans everywhere.

The career of celebrated pop photographer Kevin Cummins began on 29th June 1973 when as a 19-year-old photography student he photographed David Bowie. That image is now in the renowned photography collection of the V&A Museum.

About the Author:
Manchester-born Kevin Cummins has an international reputation as one of the world's leading photographers and is famed for his iconic portraits of musicians including Ian Curtis, Bowie, The Smiths, Iggy Pop, Bjork, Debbie Harry, Bob Marley, Public Enemy, Patti Smith and Oasis. These photographs have appeared on magazine covers and in galleries and museums worldwide, including: Brooklyn Museum, Sydney Opera House, Pace Gallery, and other cities including New York, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Berlin, London, and Bologna. His work is included in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery, V&A Museum and Manchester City Art Gallery.

Cummins had a 20 year association with British Rock 'bible' NME, where he created many of the best-known images in modern music history. He was awarded an honorary doctorate (arts) by Manchester Metropolitan University in 2015. His monographs for Octopus include Joy Division: Juvenes, Morrissey: Alone and Palely Loitering, Britpop: While We Were Getting High and Telling Stories: Photographs of The Fall.

This hardcover contains 256-pages and you can purchase now and save 15%!

• THE DAVID BOWIE WORLD FAN CONVENTION 2024 in Liverpool on 26th-28th July - tickets on sale now via bowieconvention.com

• BOWIE ODYSSEY 74 by SIMON GODDARD, paperback, 192-pages - to be published on 9th May - more details

• Memoir ME AND MR. JONES: MY LIFE WITH DAVID BOWIE AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS by SUZI RONSON hardcover, 320-pages - to be published on 4th April - more details

• BOWIE, BECKETT AND BEING: THE ART OF ALIENATION by RODNEY SHARKEY, hardcover, 224-pages - to be published on 8th February - more details

• DUBLIN BOWIE FESTIVAL 2024 takes place from 7th-11th February - celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Year of The Diamond Dogs - dublinbowiefestival.ie

• Inauguration day of RUE DAVID BOWIE plaque unveiling by George Underwood and Geoff MacCormack at 61 avenue Pierre-Mendès-France, Paris Rive Gauche, 75013 Paris, France, followed by acoustic concert at the end of the day at the town hall of the 13th District at 1 Pl. d'Italie, 75013 Paris on 8th January.

• THE SOUND AND VISION OF DAVID BOWIE - A CELEBRATION perform 3 gigs on 4th / 5th / 6th / 7th January at The Cutting Room, New York City, USA, featuring: Gail Ann Dorsey / Donny McCaslin / Carmine Rojas / Gerry Leonard / Brian Delaney / Everett Bradley / Henry Hey / Mark Plati / JJ Appleton / Jim Boggia / Michael Esper / Nicki Richards - more details

OFFICIAL DAVID BOWIE 2024 CALENDARS by Danilo Promotions Ltd, two different versions: A3 Wall and Square Collectors' Edition - both available now

The German stage production of LAZARUS by DAVID BOWIE and ENDA WALSH is playing at Schauspielhaus, Holtenauer Straße 103, 24105 Kiel, Germany on various dates starting this month and through next year - more details

Issue 10 of DAVID BOWIE GLAMOUR fanzine is now on sale at davidbowieglamour.com

New book DAVID BOWIE, ENID BLYTON and the sun machine by Nicholas Royale, hardcover and paperback, 264-pages - published on 28th November - more details

New book DAVID BOWIE: MIXING MEMORY & DESIRE: Photography by KEVIN CUMMINS, hardcover, 256-pages - published on 9th November - more details

50th Anniversary of PIN UPS released as a limited edition half-speed mastered vinyl LP on 20th October - more details

New book ABSOLUTE BEGINNER: Memoirs of the World's Best Least-Known Guitarist by Kevin Armstrong, paperback, 288-pages - published on 17th October - more details

Exclusive DAVID BOWIE lino-cut print available to PURCHASE - don't hang around, these are ALL the remaining original left-over stock from 39 years ago, once they've gone, they've gone!